His Paper Flower
by Kuromei Aibyouka
Summary: He never thought much of her, never gave her much of his attention, but now he sees her, and she's determined to save his life. An ItaKon story, first attempt
1. Chapter 1

It was done now. Itachi had made his decision, and he hoped Sasuke was ready, as he didn't think he would live much longer. His disease was getting worse every day, and nothing he could do would stop or slow it. He didn't dare tell leader-sama, or he would keep him at the base and let Kakuzu and Konan take care of him.

And no offence to them, but he didn't want that.

He was ready. All there was to do now was to meet with Sasuke and end it, once and for all. He had already told Kisame what he was about to do, but as foolish as it was, he couldn't regret it. He and the shark man were friends, as odd as it sounds. The Mists-nin understood, and he told Itachi that he would not interfere. Itachi trusted his word.

The time had come, so there was no reason to delay, and they alerted Pein-sama about their intention of capturing the nine-tailed jinchuuriki. The rinnegan-wielder didn't seem to care much, just nodded his head as he went through a stack of papers and scrolls. Itachi was glad for his uncaring nature, or he would not have been so successful.

He and Kisame were headed out the door, their needed supplies on their backs and in their cloaks, when Konan approached. Itachi thought nothing of it; she rarely spoke to anyone but Pein. She looked determined this time though, and she strode up to Itachi and placed her hands right on his chest, over his heart.

Itachi blinked and his brow furrowed in surprise, but he didn't push her away or jerk back. After a few moments of staring at her hands, she removed them and almost glared at the Uchiha. Itachi had no idea what her problem was, and after glancing at Kisame's confused expression, he guessed the shark man didn't know either. He attempted to leave again, but she gripped his sleeve tightly.

"Konan," he warned, trying to tug it away from her. "What-"

"Save it, Uchiha. You can't fool me. I know you're not well enough to be going on missions. I don't care what Pein says, you're staying here." Her amber eyes were flashing with determination, and Itachi began to change his opinion about her.

He had first met her when he had just joined; she had been there for his so-called 'interview'. She had stood motionless next to the leader, her features set in firm lines. After Itachi had been accepted, she had showed him to his room.

His first impression was that she wasn't the caring type, like Pein. Later he learned about the rumor that she was in a 'relationship' with the leader. He could believe it at the time, as he had not seen them together. When he did, though, he understood. They were obviously not very close, but he could guess that they used to be.

Unable to restrain his curiosity, he did a bit of digging about them in the village. Most of the people didn't know anything other than: they considered Pein a god and Konan his angel. An older woman, however, who ran an old teahouse, she had known them when they were young.

No, they were not in a relationship; she had been in a relationship with his body, which may sound odd if you didn't understand the rinnegan. As a rinnegan wielder, Pein could use bodies of the dead as his paths of pain. His deva path, which Itachi learned was Yahiko, was Konan's old lover.

He admitted she must be strong to see that every day, but she was very quiet and didn't seem that powerful. Perhaps she was just second in command because Pein had grown up with her.

Now, he knew better.

Staring into her eyes, he recognized her as one of the strongest willed people he had ever had the honor to meet. She had more than earned his respect, and his obedience in this matter.

Kisame's gaze went from Konan to Itachi and back, scratching the back of his neck. Konan may have been second in command, but Kisame's loyalty remained to Itachi, and he awaited Itachi's reaction.

The Uchiha surprised him by half smiling. "I guess we can't argue with that, Kisame," Itachi said, not looking at his partner. "Put our things away."

The bigger man shrugged, grabbing Itachi's supplies from the floor and slinging them over his should as he lumbered out of the room.

Konan looked proud. Whether it was of her or him, he didn't know. "I didn't think you would concede so quickly."

"Oh?" Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I know what you're planning, Itachi." The Uchiha's eyes narrowed immediately. She narrowed her eyes right back. "I don't approve, but I won't stop you. But I won't let you go out there when you can barely even fight."

"Did Kisame tell you?"

"No, I promise you that Kisame told me nothing."

"Hmm," he murmured, studying her. How did she know if Kisame didn't say anything? He hadn't breathed a word of it to anyone other than his partner.

"I can read you easier than you may think."

Itachi frowned. "So now what? You're going to keep me here until I get better? I don't think that's going to happen. I can't do a thing about it."

"You may not be able to, but perhaps _I_ can. I'm keeping you here until I've found a way to heal you, or until I give up. If I do give up, I'll let you go without complaint. Till then, you are under my care."


	2. Chapter 2

Patience was never really Sasuke's strong point, though he likely wouldn't admit it. No, he had never been a patient boy, as Itachi had noted when he took him hunting, so even growing up he was very hasty. It was in his nature, Uchihas were used to having everything they wanted right away, but all the same. He expected things quickly. Now was no different for him.

He had been training since he was four. That may have made him a bit arrogant, as he later learned the hard way. But his hatred for his older brother strengthened him, so no-one could really stop him, as even Itachi himself encouraged him. Albeit in a very crude way, but encouraged him nonetheless. Kakashi's training of the sharingan gave him a basic understanding of how to use it, even though the Copy-nin wasn't born with his. Kakashi was a good teacher, but he didn't know all of the things Sasuke wanted to know.

This was why he went to Orochimaru. The snake man was strange and creepy, and Sasuke wasn't stupid. He knew what the man wanted. He took what he could from Orochimaru's knowledge of jutsu, and killed him before he could get it from him.

If you looked over the guy's background, he definitely had it coming.

He formed Hebi not long after that, and now he spent all his time training with Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo to kill his brother. He would think he was ready, when in reality he had a long ways to go.

Now though, Itachi was very, very sick. He probably would have nearly lost to that pink haired girl from Konoha.

Now that's just plain sad.

His vision was so destroyed from Mangekyo Sharingan that he could barely see more than a few feet in front of him. That, on top of everything else, made him a much weaker opponent.

If she had let him go, Konan would have never forgiven herself, and she knew it. True, she didn't know anything about Itachi other than what she had heard from the other members and Pein, which wasn't much to go on. However she knew he was sick and her little knowledge of healing could possibly save his life. She had learned a bit of healing jutsu when she was travelling with Yahiko and Nagato for emergencies. When Pein founded the Akatsuki he told her that her skills could be useful, so she continued to practice.

She wasn't incredibly good, but she had to try.

And before, when she told him when she gave up he could leave, that wasn't the full truth.

It was highly likely to her that she wouldn't give up. Not when his life was at stake.

She sighed, tucking a strand of blue hair behind her ear. She had taken out her bun, allowing it to flow down slightly past her shoulders as she searched her cabinets for medicines she could possibly use for Itachi. It wasn't easy. She knew very little about it, but when she touched his chest she could feel his chakra veins were thin, much thinner than was healthy, which could result from unrelieved stress over a long period of time. She could definitely believe that for him.

She already had pain relievers in her arms to keep him comfortable, but she needed more to go on. If she wanted to know more about the disease, she would have to touch him again, but this time without clothing barriers.

The thought of Itachi shirtless under her hands made her cheeks tint pink.

Shutting the cabinet, she strode from the storage room and down the hallway of bedrooms with the pain herbs in hand. She had insisted that he stay in her room, so the others wouldn't see her go in and out of his regularly.

But it also made things a little awkward, as he had no idea what he could and could not touch.

No matter. What mattered was finding a cure for him.

She opened the door to her bedroom, just making sure he was there sitting on her bed before entering and shutting it behind her.

"Your hair is down."

She looked up at him, startled. "Yes."

He gave an almost smile, as Itachi never _actually_ smiled. "I've never seen your hair down."

Konan set the herbs on her nightstand. "Yea, well now you have."

"Indeed."

Konan stopped, and then looked up at him again with her eyes narrowed. "What?"

"I like it," he complimented. She raised her eyebrows skeptically. "It looks good that way. You should wear it like that more often."

"It's hard to fight with hair constantly flying in your face," she explained. "Which is why I don't."

"It's too bad."

"Uh huh. Now shut up. I need to check you. Take off your shirt."

He made no move, but stared at her like he knew she had to be joking.

She groaned. "Take off your damned shirt, Itachi; I need to look at this disease of yours."

One of his eyebrows arched for a tiny moment, so short she couldn't be sure she saw it before he obeyed her. He lifted the fabric over his head and folded it, placing it neatly on the floor, ever the gentleman.

She forced her eyes to stay on his face with effort, and motioned for him to lie down. Putting his arms behind his head to support him, he leaned back against her pillows. Konan could nearly swear he looked amused.

The blunette then went to work. Her fingers came to rest along his ribs, her palms just above his stomach. With her hands pressed against his abdomen, she could feel him, his every breath, every heartbeat, his every muscle, and his chakra veins.

"Your hands are cold," he complained. She tuned him out, completely focused on the task at hand.

As she had noted before his chakra veins were thin, as if something was drinking from them like straws. His blood vessels were also nearly clogged, like high blood pressure patients she had worked with.

Usually, ninjas didn't get high blood pressure. However people could get it from stress, and Itachi had many years of pain after killing his family and hurting his brother. He was obviously stressed, but she had never seen him deal with it in any other way than fighting.

The others in the organization all had ways of dealing with it. Pein wrote. He may not seem the type, but she had found some of his writings under his bed. It was painful to read, but it was an effective way of dealing with it.

Deidara and Sasori had art. Kakuzu had his math, being the accountant. Tobi had a butterfly collection. Kisame had a lake he would visit and swim in his free time. As for Hidan, she really had no idea what he did in his leisure time and she didn't really want to know.

Konan herself made origami like she had since she was a little girl. Itachi didn't seem to deal with his pain in a healthy way, so she could tell that he was stressed.

So that explained the high blood pressure.

In his lungs was blood build up, possibly from TB, but it could also be a result of Malignant Hypertension. Either way, she figured she could take care of it as long as Itachi stayed in bed for a few days.

No doubt about it now. If he had gone out to meet Sasuke like this, he would die, and not by his brother's hand.

Exhaustion would take him long before then.

Konan had never studied the sharingan, so she had no idea what overuse of the eyes did other than cause blindness. It could be that the sharingan helped cause the constriction of his veins. As long as she kept him from using it while she worked on him, he could be fine.

Feeling more optimistic, she opened her eyes and removed her hands, a grin gracing her pretty features. "I can do it. I can heal you, but you have to do what I say, alright?"

"Okay, sure."

Konan had never been so relieved, or at least she hadn't been in a long time. She could save him.

The thought made her feel like she was floating.


	3. Chapter 3

Konan had created a treatment for Itachi for the time being consisting of her giving him chakra from her own supply, which kept him strong, but she needed real medicine. She could always ask the village perhaps; they viewed her as an angel and would probably give her whatever she desired if it pleased god. The medicine was for the clogging of his arteries, because if they weren't fixed, his chakra wouldn't be able to regenerate properly on its own.

So every couple of hours she would flood his chakra veins with her own chakra. It kept him comfortable, but it wasn't nearly enough to get rid of his disease. She was already exhausted from the four sessions she had already done, so she figured if she was going to the village, she better do it soon.

Itachi was a good patient so she couldn't complain. Pleasant conversation floated in the air between them during his treatments, and though he was a serious fellow, he had made her laugh and smile more than once.

They mostly talked about the other members. Not in a bad way, really, but for conversation's sake during the first treatment. They'd begun with discussing Kisame; what they thought of him as a man and as a shinobi. They agreed he was a good guy, if a little sadistic; but then again who in the Akatsuki wasn't? He and his sword were definitely a force to be reckoned with and his chakra levels were incredible.

Then it had switched to Hidan. The Jashinist had made more than one crude comment aimed toward Konan, so her opinion of him wasn't too high. Itachi claimed if he wasn't immortal he would be dead a thousand times over, not including his rituals.

That was one of the first time she had laughed in his presence.

It was his description of Kakuzu that she would remember though. "I can tell the old miser has been through something, something that bothers him still. I can understand that pain, that's probably what makes him the way he is. To him, he wants something that will last. Relationships and things like that don't. Money is something he feels like he can depend on. It's material. It never dies. Whatever happened to him must have been pretty bad for it to haunt him for so long."

The second treatment went the same, except this time they explained some things about themselves.

As she had begun, she told him, "I travelled with Nagato and Yahiko and Jiraiya sensei before we founded the Akatsuki."

"I see. Has the sage come to look for you yet?"

She had shaken her head. "No, not yet. He believes we are all dead."

He had looked at her somewhat surprised. "That can't be too good, he won't be happy when he realized that's not true."

"He can deal with it. Pein will kill him anyway."

He had shrugged his shoulders. "Okay. Well, as you know, I'm from Konoha. I came here the night after I slaughtered my family."

"Except one person."

"Yes. I spared my younger brother." He had admitted.

"I know all this. I want to know why you are so accepting of him killing you."

He'd paused, inhaling as she leaned over him to pump more chakra into him. "It's… a bit of a long story. I deserve whatever he plans on doing to me."

"You are a good man, Itachi. You've proven that by keeping your brother alive. Anyone else here would have killed him by now, and you know that."

Then they were silent. She worked over him and he stared up at her.

She had left quickly afterward.

The third treatment was rough, as Konan was running low on energy. Itachi had been asleep for most of it, but Konan found herself talking to him.

"I loved Yahiko, you know."

Itachi was silent.

"He was a good man, too."

Itachi didn't even stir.

"Like you," She'd whispered.

Itachi was breathing evenly, not giving any sign of consciousness.

"I can't just let you die," she told him. "I know we don't know each other well, but I don't want you to die. I want you to live, to grow to be an old man, to have kids, to help bring peace, and continue to be the one that no one can seem to argue with, and always be the one who beats us all at poker, and always take your tea with three spoonful's of sugar with a bit of milk and honey because it reminds you of home, and always confuse me with your half smiles, because you never _actually _smile."

Itachi was motionless on her mattress.

"Are you awake yet?"

And the Uchiha had smiled, opening his eyes.

**XxX**

His fourth treatment was hardly a treatment at all. Konan was tired and chakra depleted, and before she had been ten minutes into it, Itachi stopped her and made her sit down like _she _was the one who was sick.

She exhaled grumpily, her amber glare fixed on her cloak. She really didn't feel like going out like this, but she needed help for Itachi. When she thought about it like that, her choice had already been made for her.

She grabbed her cloak, roughly pulling it over her shoulders to protect her from the misty rain outside. It was hardly water resistant, but Pein's angel always wore it.

She was outside within a moment, forming the hand seals for her wings. If she was going into the village, she had to look the part. Papers flew around her and attached to her back, imitating wings. With a final glance toward the headquarters, she flew off.

The rain was worse in the air, and by the time she got there she was drenched. Her wings were still intact though, so she slowly floated toward the medicine woman's house.

But she knew something wasn't right here. The people she passed all had fearful, darting eyes as if they expected something to pop out of the shadows at any second. The medicine woman was no different; constantly looking at her door to make sure no one was there. Konan asked for high blood pressure medication, and the gray-haired woman immediately searched her cabinets. She brought out a couple packages marked with a language Konan couldn't read. The woman didn't charge her, as was expected, but she also sort of pushed Konan out as soon as she had the medicine.

Strange.

When she stepped back out into the rain, she finally understood.

Before her stood a big man with his back to her, and he had familiar spiky white hair.

"Jiraiya-sensei."

"Hello, Konan. It's nice to know that you're alive. How long has it been?" he asked, turning to face her. He looked exactly the same as he had all those years ago during their training. "Ten years? Fifteen?"

Konan nodded, her expression stony. "I think that's right."

"I didn't come here to catch up, my dear, but to talk about someone you know. Pein, I think his name is?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** a big thank you to those who are following and those who favorited! That means so much to me. I know I haven't said a disclaimer so I will now: I do not own Naruto. I make no money by writing this. This story is for fun.

Okay, guys! This chapter is a bit intense, and I hope it's good! I don't have a beta, so please forgive spelling and grammar mistakes. Let me know if you liked it by leaving a review, and if you don't like it leave a review telling me why.

* * *

"I'm worried about Konan, Kisame."

"Itachi? I thought she told you to stay in bed!" Kisame warned, laying Samehada on his bed and rising to his feet.

"I know, but she's been gone for a while and she was only going into town." He leaned against the door jam, crossing his arms. The only thing now that suggested that the Uchiha was ill was his paler-than-normal complexion; other than that, he looked perfectly fine to his partner.

"Let me guess: you're going after her?" Kisame asked, already knowing the answer. He knew Itachi well enough to be sure he would go back for those he cared about.

Like Sasuke.

And now it was clear to the shark man that he cared deeply for Konan too. His coal eyes were worried, yet held a light in them that seemed to say, _I'll find her and bring her back, or die trying._

Itachi nodded solemnly, grabbing his cloak from the coat rack by the door. "I'll be back later."

"That's what Konan said," Kisame grumbled. Itachi ignored the bigger man's comment, only sending him a glare before disappearing out the door. A few moments later her could hear the front door open and shut a few meters away.

When he heard that sound, the shark man grinned, flashing pointed white teeth and grabbed Samehada, strapping the sword to his back. Ah, now Itachi had made a mistake in not ordering him to remain at HQ.

He followed Itachi's path and went out the front door as well, walking in the direction of the village at a lazy pace.

If Itachi was going, so was Kisame.

* * *

As the Uchiha approached the village, weaving his way through the trees, all was silent; not a sound could be heard other than the quiet sound of his feet hitting the ground. No birds sang, no crickets chirped, no animal could be heard. That was his first hint that something wasn't right.

Then he came out of the forested area, peeking into the village. No one was out. The streets were empty, the marketplace abandoned. The goods had been so hastily packed that some of them were dropped and trampled. It was empty. Quiet. Still.

A sudden blast echoed through the streets; Itachi had his hands together so fast he was a blur and he immediately exploded into dozens of crows scattering about the area.

His birds landed on a roof slightly closer to the sound, scouting.

He saw Konan first, the newly shining sun glinting off of Konan's blue hair. Then he saw the big man standing before her. He had poufy, spiky white hair and wore ridiculous looking red wooden shoes. On his face were two streaks of red that stretched from his eyes to his chin. Ah, he remembered this guy now. Jiraiya, the man who had tried to trap him in toad esophagus jutsu. Supposedly inescapable. Ha. Not to Uchiha Itachi.

At the moment, it looked like they were only talking. Konan stood on the ground with no paper out; she was holding something and she held it in her arms protectively. Itachi didn't know what it was, but when she was holding it she was vulnerable.

One of his crows flew further toward them, and on closer inspection he saw that she was covered in goopy oil.

Jiraiya was restricting her paper separation.

Enraged, he brought his crows together to his true form and jumped off the roof, sneaking closer to eavesdrop.

"Now, now, Konan," Jiraiya cautioned. "I just wanted to know why that little bag is so important."

"I told you it wasn't a weapon. That's all you need to know." Her voice was strong and defiant.

Jiraiya's sandals scraped against the ground; he was taking a step toward her. "Okay, okay. But you haven't told me what I need to know. Where is this Pein?"

Konan scoffed, and a swell of pride filled Itachi's chest. "If I told you, I would not have kept my word. You know I'm not the kind to break my word just because my old sensei asked me."

Then Itachi struck. Hands moving in a flurry, he murmured, "Cleansing flood jutsu!"

A tsunami of freshwater crashed over them, washing the oil off Konan and scaring the hell out of Jiraiya. Knowing that they would be looking for who did it, he jumped out from behind the building, showing himself to the two. Konan glared at him and recognition flashed in the bigger man's eyes.

"Itachi, I told you-" Konan began.

"To stay in bed. I heard you. I chose to ignore you." Itachi nonchalantly dusted himself off, though his cloak had no dirt on it.

"I was only getting your medicine," she hissed. "You didn't have to-"

"That's medicine? You could have said so," Jiraiya said, rudely cutting her off as Itachi had done. When Konan turned her glare on him, he merely grinned at her sideways. "I still can't let you go. Not until you tell me where Pein is."

"Then I'm afraid you'll be leaving here disappointed," Itachi replied, his tone serious and unarguable. "Get back, Konan."

When those words left his mouth, Jiraiya snapped his hair toward the blunette, attempting to trap her again. It was a wise move, because if he had something precious to Itachi, he could get answers. But Itachi was already in motion.

Several crow shuriken caught in his white spikes before they could reach her, pinning it down. Jiraiya frowned, yanking his hair free.

Konan retreated a few steps as Itachi had ordered, but only to protect the medicine in her arms. Carefully placing the package in her cloak pocket, she finally had her hands free, even though her cloak was a bit bulgy.

Sheets and sheets of paper flew from under her, making her look like a ghost with her pale skin and no legs. In the air the pieces folded themselves into shuriken, and two or three into butterflies.

The butterflies flew off in the direction of HQ to tell Pein what was happening.

Jiraiya spat fire. If reinforcements came, he would be toast. He was going to have enough trouble as it was. He burned the butterflies within seconds, their pitiful ashes floating to the ground.

Itachi leapt into the space between them, coming to stand protectively in front of Konan, activating his sharingan.

"Itachi, no!"

Konan's cry for him to stop came too late, and a giant ball of flames burst from his mouth, hell bent on reaching Jiraiya.

The older man barely managed to roll to the side, safe from the flames. But Itachi didn't stop there. His red eyes glowing with fury, his skeleton Susanoo rose up from the ground and swung its mighty ax at the toad sage.

As Konan watched, a tear of blood rolled down Itachi's cheek.

He had to stop now, or he would exhaust himself.

Jiraiya jumped back, but couldn't completely avoid the epic swing of the giant skeleton.

A boom resounded through the empty village.

Standing in front of Jiraiya was a great red toad, not as large as Itachi's Susanoo, but as big as a small house.

The toad managed to guard the white haired man with a blade.

Itachi couldn't hold it and his Susanoo faded. His sight had become worse, he couldn't see more than a couple feet before it got blurred. His posture slumped. He was tired, too tired, to continue like this.

The toad moved behind Jiraiya, he assumed that the sage was going to make a move.

At least, that was the plan, up until a flash of black, red, and blue surged past him at inhuman speed.

Kisame!

The shark man ran right up to Jiraiya and beat the guy over the head with Samehada before jumping back.

The sword eagerly ate up the man's chakra, writhing and humming with delight. Smart move.

Without chakra, the sage couldn't do anything. Jiraiya cursed, giving one final glance to the three of them before jumping onto the red toad's back. It hopped away as fast as it could.

Kisame grinned over at Konan and Itachi. "Looks like I came at the right time."

Konan rushed to Itachi's side, completely ignoring the shark man. The Uchiha was squinting, like he couldn't see very well. _Using the sharingan to much_, Konan thought. She cupped his face, trying to wipe the blood from his cheek with her thumb but only smearing it.

He touched her face as well, like he was making sure she was real. His vision was growing dark. Hm. That was strange.

The last thing he heard before the darkness claimed him was Konan calling his name in a panic.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I want to say thank you to Windninja1000 and Nitinha56 for your reviews, and to everyone who favorited and is following this story. Love you guys!

* * *

Konan and Kisame managed to share Itachi's weight by slinging his arms over the both of their shoulders. Kisame had to lean over because of their height distance, but Konan refused to let him completely carry Itachi, and Kisame knew she wasn't strong enough to do it alone. So they walked along, Itachi's limp head lolling from side to side, showing the blood smeared on his face.

Konan's step was light, hardly audible; her more petite build and years of experience on the battlefield kept her tread silent. Kisame, however, was the opposite. He crashed through the trees and brush, not even attempting to hush the noise his boots caused. Konan rolled her eyes at the swordsman's behavior. The bigger man grinned arrogantly.

She wasn't surprised when she felt someone watching them, Kisame's heavy footfalls hardly helped keep them concealed. Being in the Akatsuki for longer than the Mists-nin of course she noticed first. Up in a tree to the left, she guessed; four maximum, two minimum. When she realized this she did not change her pace, she did not make a sound. She didn't even alert Kisame. If they knew she knew they were there, they would attack that much more quickly.

Sasuke's sharingan watched them intently as the three made their way through the trees, a confused scowl on his face. Karin sat beside him on the tree branch, and a few trees behind them were Suigetsu and Jugo. Sasuke could recognize the big fish man as Itachi's partner, but he had never seen the blue haired woman before. She wore the Akatsuki cloak, so her allegiance was clear, at least.

Itachi was clearly unconscious, and as his face rolled to the side, he saw two trails of blood trickling from his closed eyes. Now was clearly Sasuke's chance; Itachi would never be more vulnerable than now. The blunette and the shark man might be a problem, but Karin, Suigetsu and Jugo could easily distract them long enough for him to strike the killing blow to Itachi.

It wasn't right, though.

The only way Sasuke could justify his refusal to attack his brother was that he wanted Itachi to fight back full force. Sasuke didn't want to kill him like this, so… helpless.

He hadn't trained all his life to kill him like _this. _

Before he signaled Karin and the others to fall back, he noticed the blue haired woman giving Itachi a worried glance. Her amber eyes were full of concern, regret, and pain, like Itachi being in this state hurt her.

His brow furrowed, and he jumped back, his team following him while giving confused looks.

Konan breathed a sigh of relief when she felt them leave. She had no clue who they were, but if they had attacked, it would have meant disaster, for Itachi at least.

There would have been no way that she could have defeated them quickly enough to protect Itachi if they wanted him dead.

HQ was in sight now, and the pair quickened their pace.

"Did you notice we were being watched?" Kisame asked, flashing his shark-like teeth in a grin.

"I did," Konan said. So Kisame did know they were being watched. Perhaps he was more vigilant than she gave him credit for. "Do you know who it was?"

Kisame nodded. "Itachi's little brother. He was watching us from over there," he pointed to a tree behind them. "With a redhead."

Konan sighed. "Makes sense, I suppose. Why didn't he attack?"

Kisame leered dramatically. "Being S-ranked criminals never hurts intimidation."

The blunette chuckled, but couldn't help continuing to wonder why Sasuke would leave him alone when he was this sick, so easily taken down. And what was with the random redhead?

Well, she could be one of Nagato's relatives, because _he _had red hair. Then again, that was an Uzamaki trait. Maybe she was an Uzamaki…

Now she was getting sidetracked. She shook her head to clear it as they approached the front door. Kisame yanked it open so hard he almost tore it from the hinges. Konan couldn't complain though, they got him inside quickly.

"Konan."

She whipped her head around to meet Pein's eyes. "I don't have time to speak to you right now," she snapped. She supposed she shouldn't be so harsh with him right now, it wasn't his fault he was wearing the body of the man she used to love, or that Itachi could be dying. She couldn't help herself though. "I have to treat Itachi before he's dead."

With that, she turned away and towed the unconscious Uchiha toward her room, everyone in the room except Pein gaping at her behavior. She didn't care.

Kisame all but threw his partner onto the mattress, stretching his arms from being in one position for so long. Konan went to work brewing tea with the medicine mixed in. She cut the bag open, and it was full of finely ground herbs. As she heated the water, she glanced at Kisame.

"Could you bring me Kakuzu? He might know more about-"

And Kisame was out the door. She had no idea whether he was going to do as she asked or not. Who knew with this guy? His loyalty was with Itachi, then after him, Pein. He made this obvious on many occasions.

But after a few minutes, the oldest member of Akatsuki strolled in through the door.

"I had better be paid for my time," Kakuzu said boredly. He went over to Konan and pick up the bag, studying the words she couldn't read. "Have you read this?"

"I can't read that language," she protested.

The miser mumbled something she couldn't hear, then told her, "Why would you spend money on something you can't read?"

"Just shut up, Kakuzu. Check on Itachi and see if there's anything you can do for him."

He grumbled again, but went to Itachi's side, touching his chest as Konan had done. As she watched the older man, Itachi's words about him flashed in her mind. Had Kakuzu been through something bad? He was motionless for about five seconds. "I don't think there's anything I can do that you can't, Konan-sama. He's suffering from chakra exhaustion, and whatever else is wrong with him."

Konan nodded absently, one hand coming up to play with her lip piercing. "Would you lend him some of yours, please? I'll have Pein give you a bonus."

Kakuzu sighed, but he couldn't refuse that.

Konan finished making the tea just as Kakuzu finished lending Itachi chakra. Konan thanked him, and a hint of surprise flashed in his bloodshot green eyes before he nodded and left the room.

It was then that Itachi coughed, a wet, painful sounding cough, and a small amount of blood sprayed from his lips. One of his hands came up to clutch at his chest, like he wanted to rip the heart out from his ribcage.

Konan ran over to him. "Itachi, it's alright. I need you to drink this."

Itachi groaned in pain, but he opened his mouth for the tea without opening his eyes, and she poured the warm liquid down his throat.

As he sipped the tea, she grabbed a rag and washed the blood off his face, careful not to hurt his eyes or knock the cup from his lips. She rang it out a few times before returning it to his face.

She didn't drop her hand when the blood was gone. When else would he let her touch him like this? Itachi was a very independent man, even when he was sick.

She ran the cloth lightly over his eyes, which were still closed. He looked so peaceful like this. So unworried, like he wasn't in pain. Almost like he was asleep.

He finished the tea and she brought the cup away from his face, and she couldn't help but stare at his lips.

Had they ever been so pale? She didn't think she had seen them paler. But pale or pink, it didn't matter. She imagined they would be just as soft either way. But there was only one way to know.

But did she want to kiss him? Would he accept it if she did? Did he like her at all? Did _she_ like _him_? These questions assaulted her mind as she looked at him, bewildered.

When he felt her go still, Itachi opened his eyes and gazed up at her questioningly.

She removed the rag from his face, her cheeks pink. He managed his trademark half-smile.

"Konan?"

At first she didn't answer. She was turned away, confusion twisting in her eyes.

Then Itachi touched her hand, entwining his fingers with hers. She whirled back around with wide eyes, but was met with the same half-smile.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

She blinked. "Um, for what?"

"For caring about me." He reached up with his other hand, tucking a strand of blue hair behind her ear. "It means so much to me."

She smiled, a real smile, back at him. "You didn't have to come after me, you know. You could have sent someone else. I was fine."

Itachi shook his head. "No, no… I couldn't. And you weren't. I would _not_ leave you behind."

She leaned down and pressed her lips to his cheek. "Thank you, Itachi."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** once again, thank you to my lovely reviewers, Windninja1000 and Nitinha56, and those readers who favorited and are following!

* * *

Pein looked in on her room curiously, watching the sleeping pair. Her chair was pulled up to his bedside and her head rested on his shoulder. Konan's face was more peaceful than he had seen it in a very long time; ten years.

Before Yahiko died.

It was the same, and yet different. With Yahiko, the feelings were new and unknown, as she was fifteen. Now she was a woman. Pein seemed to forget that some of the time.

When they were growing up together he thought of her like a delicate flower; easily crumpled and broken. With her delicate build and sweet face, anyone could feel that way. But as he got older, he wanted to protect her from that ever happening. Yahiko's last request strengthened this, but it was too late. His death shattered her.

It shattered them both.

He cared for her. In his mind she was still his little sister, his little flower. He wanted no harm to come to her. With his infinite power, he felt like it was a simple task to protect her. He was a god now, after all. But some things you cannot protect from.

Like death of a loved one. Like Yahiko.

It angered Pein to this day that he was powerless to save his best friend, like he was a weakling. This anger fuelled his decision to take Yahiko's body as his Deva path. He didn't process that this decision could hurt Konan.

If he could go back, he would have made the same choice as before. He didn't regret it. But he wished he had… talked to Konan about it.

She carried the pain of it for all these years. It shocked him how strong she had become, physically, mentally, and emotionally. But he was feeling powerless again, and this time, it was because of the Uchiha.

Pein could tell she was Itachi's now. The way she looked at him, it was easy to see. The Uchiha's nearly useless eyes reflected her feelings.

And this was what scared him. If she lost him now, she would wither and crumple into the semi-human she was when she lost Yahiko. Pein could admit to himself now that he had been the same way. Maybe he still was.

He supposed it made sense. With all the pain in both their lives, it was plausible that they would turn to each other for comfort, to stitch each other up from the wounds of their past. But it was more than that, too. When Itachi first joined he could have sworn he saw the Uchiha giving Konan an approving, and sometimes adoring, glance. She checked over each of his missions from the very beginning, making sure he wasn't in too much danger. He now recalled how angry she had gotten when she learned Jiraiya had tried to trap him in toad esophagus jutsu.

He almost smiled at the memory. He preferred her being angry than being cold and distant, but man could she throw a hissy fit. She had stormed out of the house with the foulest expression, and was gone for over an hour. Later when he scanned the forest he noted a giant circle of the trees had been shredded to the point of destruction.

He supposed he should have seen it coming.

But now he had that much more to worry about. The Akatsuki, world domination, Konan, and now Itachi.

As if he had any extra time.

Ah, well. His thoughts were cut off when Itachi blinked, yawned, then glanced up at him. The Uchiha didn't seem surprised to see him there, and Pein guessed that his breathing change must have startled Konan because she woke up as well. She stretched, sitting up straight when she realized where she was.

"Konan," Pein murmured.

She jumped, whipping around to face him. He noted her hands were already changing to paper.

"I'd like to speak to you, Konan. Alone."

Konan and Itachi looked at each other nervously, and she reluctantly stood up and made her way to the door. Before she went with Pein, she told Itachi, "Keep drinking the tea or you'll get worse."

She saw him roll his eyes before she turned, then she followed Pein to his office. The orange haired Deva path sauntered over to his desk and sat down lazily, rubbing his temples even though his mind was in another body. Konan took the seat in front of him.

"I can explain, Leader-sama…"

Pein cut her off. "No need. Listen Konan, you are very dear to me."

Konan nodded. "And you are to me."

"I don't know what the relationship is between you and Itachi," he continued. "But if he ever hurts you, I'll have his tongue nailed to my ceiling."

Konan raised an eyebrow at him, an almost-smile curling her pale lips as she brought a hand up to twist her lip piercing absentmindedly.

"He has to earn his keep, though. I don't do charity."

"But he's sick, he's coughing up blood!" she protested. Pein held up a finger to silence her. She glared.

"I've discussed it with Kisame, and he agrees that if you like, when Itachi starts missions again, you can go with him."

Konan blinked. Twice. "Um, thank you, Pein-sama. So Itachi can heal for a little while?"

"It would do me no good if he were to die. Of course he can heal for a few more days."

Konan's face broke into a joyful grin. "Thank you, Nagato." With that, she flew out the door cheerfully.

For the first time in a long time, back in Nagato's chambers, still hooked up to his machine, Nagato, the _real_ Nagato, smiled.

* * *

In the next chapter Itachi is going to run into Sasuke again! Leave a review if you like the story, and if you don't, leave a review telling me why. That little review button is love!


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry about the delay, guys! A big thank you to all my lovely reviewers, followers, and those who favorited! Hope you like it!

I don't own Naruto!

* * *

_What was it with this woman?_ Itachi ranted in his head. How had she taken his resolve to die by Sasuke's hand and crush it without trouble? Not only did he not want to die, but he wanted to _live._

With her.

What was it about her that made her so irresistible? Everything she said was unarguable! She had ruined his every plan!

And yet, somehow, he couldn't help but feel happy that she had.

Maybe it wasn't what she did, but just the way she was. He couldn't help but want to protect her, and he couldn't do that when he was dead. Now that he was thinking about it, he wouldn't be able to protect Sasuke if he was dead, even if Sasuke didn't want his help.

But she was the one who was forcing him to think about it.

Bah! It was all so confounding and twisted.

Turning over on the mattress, he caught a glimpse of the things Konan had left for him: Water, medicine, a few books, a pencil, and a sketchpad. She told him that he needed a more relaxing hobby, and maybe writing, painting, drawing or folding. He had hmphed at her, saying nothing with his arms crossed. Not pouting, but pretty close. He didn't see the point of him resting now, as he could walk, talk, fight, even use chakra. But Konan had insisted, and if she caught him out of her room she would trap him and scold him, unless he was going to use the bathroom.

He smirked, recalling the one time she had scolded him for heading for the shower. When he had told her, she blushed, laughed a bit, apologized, and ran away.

Anyway, as he had nothing better to do at the moment, he supposed he could give sketching a try. He was already inspired, he thought, picking up the pencil and twirling it effortlessly between his fingers. He knew exactly what he was drawing.

* * *

Konan floated down the hallway like a ghost, passing the other Akatsuki bedrooms silently. As per usual, it was relatively quiet in the house, other than Hidan's continual cursing and Tobi's obnoxious humming in the kitchen. She sighed, content, and she headed back to check on Itachi.

He was healing amazingly fast, and she had even told him so. At that he had replied that Uchiha blood was stronger than the norm.

Humph.

She couldn't exactly say that he was arrogant, because he never overestimated his abilities or underestimated his opponent's. She couldn't think of a proper word to describe him; he was a very strange and difficult man.

Ah, well. She approached her door, listening intently to see if he was moving around in there. She could hear a faint scratching that she couldn't place. A tiny grin graced her features and she snuck forward, opening the door a crack to look in. His back was to her, covered by a black t-shirt, and he was hunched over something. She could see his arms moving.

She edged closer, sneaking through the door and creeping up behind him to see what he was doing. Before him, on his lap, was the sketchpad she had left for him. In his hand was the pencil. The sketch he was creating was of a lovely woman, with faint eye shadow and short hair with wispy bangs. Upon her head was a rose… but wait, it wasn't just a rose. Realization dawned on her suddenly and she had to hold back a gasp.

He was drawing her.

Looking closer now, she saw how beautiful he had made her look. She was smiling in the drawing; her hair floating around her face like the wind was blowing gently.

"Konan."

She wasn't surprised. "You took my advice."

He turned to her slowly, half-smiling. "You had a point. It seems you always do."

Konan glanced from him to the drawing and back. "It's… beautiful," she breathed.

He tucked a strand of her blue hair behind her ear, fully smiling now. "You are beautiful."

With a sob, she threw her arms around his neck, pushing her lips to his. _No one _had ever told her that before. Jiraiya had said he thought she would grow up to be beautiful, and Hidan had referred to her as a 'sweet piece of ass he'd love to have his way with', that was as close as she had gotten. And now, hearing it coming from Itachi was the sweetest thing she thought she had ever heard in her life.

She was briefly worried about him pushing her away when he wrapped one arm around her waist, the other going into her hair, securing her to him. His tongue softly brushed against her lips, making her shiver and she surrendered to him, meeting his with hers.

When she thought she would suffocate, he pulled back, looking just as flustered as she felt. She gave a breathy laugh between her pants, playing with his ponytail.

"Konan," he whispered.

"Yes?" she whispered back, chest heaving.

"I love you."

Stunned into silence for several moments, all she could do was stared at him. "Itachi, I… I love you too."

He chuckled, and before she could ask him what was so funny, he recaptured her lips in a kiss impossibly better than the last.

* * *

Itachi's first mission when he was done with his recovery, was a simple one: Go to a brothel in a nearby village, assassinate the leader, and head back. Itachi was disappointed, but if Pein wanted him to do it, he would not complain.

The only one stupid enough to do that was Hidan, and he was a bloody masochist.

Anyway, he and Konan left HQ together, and as soon as the building was out of sight, he took her hand in his and they strolled lazily down the path. She was smiling so much more than she had in the past, he noted, and he was glad. Her smile, like everything else about her, was beautiful. And though he would never admit it, she was making him smile more and more too.

He loved her.

He was proud of himself. He felt like a hero in one of the legends that were told to the children in Konoha. Overcome a peril, get the girl.

Except the fact that he was a villain. But he was happy.

He felt someone approach, and he knew Konan didn't yet because she was still grinning and glancing around. His gut told him it could only be Sasuke.

Of course. His luck had run out. And his brother was here for revenge.

The only strange thing he noticed was that he only had one person with him, when he assumed there were four. People he had gotten from Orochimaru's compound, no doubt.

Perhaps this was a glory battle.

Either way, he had very few options now. He couldn't die, but it was a possibility that he couldn't stop thinking about. Konan was here too, so he had her to worry about as well. Then again, she was a member of the Akatsuki, and could almost definitely handle herself against whoever Sasuke had brought with him.

When Konan stiffened ever so slightly, he knew she knew Sasuke was there too. And he was almost certain Sasuke knew they knew, so there was no point in ignoring it anymore.

"Sasuke."

He heard a thump, then another, to his left and guessed they had been in a tree.

"Itachi." Was his little brother's reply.

Konan gripped Itachi's sleeve. "Itachi, don't-"

"Don't worry Konan. I won't."

He turned his head slightly, meeting his younger brother's stare. "So you finally caught up with me, little brother."

"So I have," Sasuke said. "And you've not been telling the whole truth, _big brother."_

Sasuke's tone wasn't nearly as icy as Itachi had expected, but perhaps he was wrong. "Oh?"

"No." His face had taken on a fierce determination. "Madara told me the truth."

"What truth, this truth?" He asked angrily.

And Itachi flung his arm out, flicking Sasuke's forehead as he had done when Sasuke was much younger. As he did this, he used a genjutsu, showing him what really happened.

_A teenage Itachi, being confronted by Danzo. _

_"Leaf ninja killing his family would make him bitter towards Konoha, and we would have to kill him too."_

_Itachi kept his face emotionless._

_"Either you kill your clan, and spare your little brother, or we kill them all, including you."_

_Itachi knew he cared nothing for his life, not now. His decision was already made for him._

_His mother and father, sitting before him as he held a katana to their backs. Tears were running down his face._

_"Take care of Sasuke, Itachi."_

_And that was what hurt the most about killing them, that they were accepting and loving toward him still. _

_But what hurt the most about that night was facing his four year old brother. _

_"Who could have done this?" little Sasuke cried._

_"Foolish brother." The words were knives in his heart. "Mangekyo Sharingan!"_

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And that's chapter seven! Leave a review if you liked it, and if you didn't leave a review telling me why. Love you guys!


	8. Chapter 8

Once again, thank you guys who reviewed.

Shadic1978: Thank you! I'm glad you like it :)

Windninja1000: Thank you for your continued support!

Youkai Zeta: I'm glad you think so.

Universal-Public-Cockblocker: First off, what an interesting name you have. Secondly, please don't send your Al-Qaeda buddies after me! I'm going as fast as I can! :D I'm glad you liked it.

Now I'm not too thrilled with this chapter, but I'm posting it anyway just to see what you guys think. Let me know with a lovely little review.

(Note: Flames will be used to cook my author marshmallows.)

* * *

Sasuke came back to reality with a gasp, his eyes widening and he collapsed onto Karin, the companion that he had brought. She gave a yelp of surprise, scrambling to hold him up with both her arms. She glared at Itachi.

"What did you do to him?" she demanded.

"A memory genjutsu," Itachi replied stiffly. "I showed him what happened on the night I slaughtered my clan."

Konan placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, a knowing, sad expression on her face. Itachi leaned into her.

Sasuke swiped a hand across his forehead, panting and struggling to stand up on his own. He pushed away Karin's hands when she attempted to help him. "Danzo… It was Danzo all along?"

Itachi shook his head. "No, Sasuke. As you saw, we had no choice. Our clan was going to destroy the village and start another war."

Sasuke's hands balled into fists. "It could have been done peacefully… he didn't have to force you to do it, he could have… they could have…"

Itachi took a step toward Sasuke and placed his own hand on his brother's shoulder. "I wanted you to think that I had done it alone. I wanted you to seek vengeance against me, not anyone else. I wanted you to grow strong," at this, Itachi smiled, a real smile. "And you have. And I'm proud of you, Sasuke." When he was done speaking, he poked Sasuke in the forehead once more.

Then Sasuke did something he swore he would never do in front of _anyone, especially _Itachi. He cried.

These were not the tears of the child he had been when Itachi left, these were tears of an angry teenage boy for a man who was forced to murder his whole family. He squinted and gritted his teeth, trying to force them back, but he wasn't strong enough anymore.

Karin stood beside him, an almost horrified look on her face. At this point, she had no idea what to do. Sasuke was never an emotional person. He never reached out for help or for someone to talk to, so she assumed he was fine. She adored him so much she couldn't see the true pain buried deep under his mask, a mask he had inherited from Itachi.

Itachi wasn't surprised his little brother reacted in such a way. He had just watched the truth behind his family's murder in great detail. He didn't know the tears were for him and the pain he was forced to suffer. Though he wasn't surprised, he was feeling the same thing Karin was. He didn't know what to do.

And Konan bumped him with her elbow, inclining her head towards his brother. He mouthed '_what?' _and shrugged. She inwardly groaned, stepping forward and enveloping Sasuke in a hug.

Among the three, she was the one who truly understood what he was going through. She had felt the exact same thing, and she knew exactly what he needed.

Affection.

As soon as Konan made the first move, Karin unfroze and joined the hug, wrapping her arms around Sasuke as well. Itachi only hesitated a moment before following, feeling awkward for not doing anything sooner.

Sasuke tried shoving them off in the beginning, but when they persisted he just stood there, allowing the embrace but not exactly welcoming it.

When they finally released him, his face was once again neutral and free of tears.

Konan smiled at the younger Uchiha. "I'm Konan, by the way."

Sasuke blinked in response, then nodded woodenly. Karin gazed at him worriedly.

Itachi reached for Konan's hand in a bit of a signal; they had wasted too much time. They had to eliminate the target now. They had to kill the brothel master and get back.

She immediately understood.

Just before they burst into several butterflies and crows, Itachi said one final thing to Sasuke: "We have business to attend to now. See you later, little brother."

* * *

And there we have it! I'm happy they didn't fight. Are you? Let me know what you think! We may be nearing the end of the story now. I've had a lot of fun writing it!

Side note: Right now I'm working on an ItaKon lemon that was requested by one of my friends. If you guys like, I'll post it on here.


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